Lam Research’s Dextro cobot boosts semiconductor production efficiency

Lam Study Corp. today presented Dextro, its initial collective robotic arm developed to maximize essential upkeep jobs on semiconductor wafer construction devices. The Fremont, Calif.-based firm introduced that several innovative wafer fabs all over the world have actually released Dextro.

As fabs remain to expand in dimension, geographical variety, and devices intricacy, chipmakers require to maximize the efficiency of their human designers by raising automation, kept in mind Lam Study. This is coming to be a lot more vital as the variety of semiconductor placements around the world remains to exceed the schedule of proficient designers.

Accuracy is essential in device upkeep, where the precise reassembly of subsystems converts down line, the firm stated. Attaining new right (FTR) conserves time and expense, it insisted. Repeatable upkeep can likewise decrease waste related to palatable components, labor and manufacturing downtime, resulting in much less irregularity and greater return in manufacturing.

” When making devices needs upkeep, the job should be done promptly and successfully to prevent extensive device downtime and squandered expense,” stated Youthful Ju Kim, vice head of state and head of the Memory Etch Innovation Group at Samsung Electronic Devices. “Error-free upkeep by Dextro assists drive renovations in manufacturing irregularity and return. This is an interesting landmark in Samsung’s trip to the self-governing fab.”

Lam Study sustains semiconductor precision

Almost every innovative chip today is constructed with Lam innovation, declared the firm. It stated it developed Dextro to lessen device downtime and manufacturing irregularity.

Within a fab, precision issues. Semiconductor making runs with nanoscale precision, and while Dextro does not have that degree of precision, Lam Study stated its job is to keep the devices to constantly generate at nanoscale. The outcome is considerable FTR results that can boost return.

Lam stated it developed Dextro to take care of thousands of procedure devices, each needing normal, intricate upkeep. These essential jobs need repeatability with sub-micron accuracy. There is no financial usage instance for a committed cobot at each procedure device. Rather, the brand-new system can be rearranged around the fab as the procedure devices are taken offline for upkeep.

” Dextro is a mobile cart that is directed and anchored to a tool, after that ran from another location by a great designer or professional,” clarified Russel Dover, basic supervisor of the Client Assistance Service Team at Lam Study. “The cart includes the cobot’s control systems and includes a lot of the core innovation.”

When inquired about the common upkeep cycle, Dover responded, “The size of time differs depending upon the application. A solitary application might use up to half an hour consisting of docking and undocking time. Done by hand, it can commonly take 2 to 4 times much longer. A solitary Dextro device can service approximately 100 Lam Flex chambers at an upkeep regularity of one-time each month.”

UR5e cobot at the facility of Dextro

At the heart of Dextro is aUR5e cobot arm from Universal Robots. The UR5e has a reach of 850 mm (33.5 in.) and a haul of 5 kg (11 pound.). Geared up with a fast adjustment end-of-arm wrist, Dextro can promptly pick the proper end effect for the certain upkeep ask, such as:

• It specifically mounts and presses palatable elements with greater than 2 times the precision of hands-on application. Specific setting up assists regulate engrave efficiency at the wafer side, boosting return.
• Dextro tightens up vacuum-sealing, high-precision screws to precise requirements, easing great designers of a repeated job with approximately a 5% mistake price when done by hand. Properly fulfilling requirements get rid of chamber temperature level variances that might take a device out of manufacturing and influence pass away return, stated Lam Study.
• Utilizing automation and cleansing innovation, Dextro eliminates side-wall polymer accumulation within the chamber, without the worry of disassembly of the reduced chamber. Notably, it does this at reduced danger to people that need hefty safety breathing devices to carry out the job by hand.

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Automation assures to decrease downtime

” With the huge boost sought after that AI is offering the semiconductor market, it’s essential for chipmakers to maintain all their production devices functioning as successfully as feasible to lessen downtime,” kept in mind Bob O’Donnell, head of state of TECHnalysis Study. “Dextro can automate laborious, taxing, and usually elaborate cleansing and upkeep jobs on chip construction devices to ensure that making outcome can be optimized. It supplies a substantial advantage for firms that select to release it.”

” Dextro is an interesting jump onward in semiconductor production devices upkeep” stated Chris Carter, team vice head of state of the Client Assistance Service Team at Lam Study.

” Developed to function side by side with fab designers, it implements intricate upkeep jobs with accuracy and repeatability that are past human capacity alone, allowing greater device uptime and production return,” he clarified. “It is an effective enhancement to Lam’s considerable profile of devices and solutions developed to assist chipmakers maximize their fabs for expense and performance.”

Lam’s Flex G and H collection dielectric etch devices are sustained by Dextro, which will certainly increase to added devices in 2025 and past.

Dextro signs up with a profile of Lam systems planned to boost effectiveness and decrease the expense of procedures for semiconductor fabs. It consists of the Lam Tools Knowledge procedure devices with self-governing calibration and self-adapting upkeep capacities.

The profile likewise consists of Lam’s Tools Knowledge Solutions, which make use of information, artificial intelligence, expert system, and Lam domain name expertise to accomplish far better performance end results.